Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Mississippi State released a statement today confirming it contacted the SEC officials regarding Cam Newton's recruitment. Here is in full:

Mississippi State University acknowledges that it contacted the Southeastern Conference office in January of 2010 regarding an issue relating to its recruitment of Cam Newton.

Shortly after the initial call, the SEC office requested specific information to include interviews with involved staff from MSU.

Due to MSU dealing with ongoing and time-consuming eligibility issues involving non-football matters in the winter and spring of 2010, the specific SEC request went unfulfilled. Some additional information was provided to the SEC during July of 2010. Once the NCAA enforcement staff became involved, Mississippi State University cooperated fully with its investigation. MSU is confident the SEC office has managed this process consistent with its established procedures and the university is committed to the conference’s ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with SEC and NCAA rules.

What does this mean? Not much that we didn't already know, but it does account for why the timeline begins in January but doesn't pick up until July.

27 comments:

"an issue" - either the person who wrote this didn't major in English or they are only talking about a singular incident. This seems contradictory to the idea that John Bond and two additional "recruiters" can be part of a single issue.

Here's my conspiracy theory: MSU offered Cam money but he decided to go to AU for nothing other than a scholarship. Think back to his recruitment, we didn't know his abilities and many thought we didn't need to sign a JUCO QB, but given that he could enroll in Dec, coaches decided to roll the dice since he could fall into the previous year's class. Why would we pay 200K for him??

I agree. If there had been a smoking gun (like a video or a tape of these alleged conversations) then the SEC/NCAA would have ruled him ineligible pretty quickly and started a formal investigation into Auburn. They haven't done either of those things.

However, using logic when dealing with the NCAA isn't always appropriate.

Our Family...I think you are right on target. Miss. State's behavior has been very odd during this entire situation. While the perception is that Auburn is in trouble here, I think the MSU coaches are in panic mode right now.

I'm praying you're correct. Thankfully it corresponds with what we've seen so far. None of the breathless news alerts have indicated anything different that what the NCAA and SEC appear to have known since Jan. And MSST dragging their feet should be a newsflash in this whole thing. They're looking guilty as hell in my book.

Our Fam- I like your version of events for sure. I think further- Cecil's quote about "needing more than a scholarship" could easily mean "other supporting offensive weapons, senior-laden O line, and maybe even true mentor/coaches as opposed to more of the same Urban protege Mullen".

However, if this is true- then why did MSU let it get out in the first place? If it all eventually comes crashing back down on them, why would they bring it out?

I'm presuming that either Urban or Mullen (based on others supposition) leaked it.

Cecil Newton's comment could also have meant that it would be a cold day in hell before his son would play for MSU! I can SO picture myself saying something like that to a coach whose program I didn't like! What no one knows is the TONE of the conversation, the context in which this was said, and WHO the hell it was said to!!! Same goes for Cam's comment "the money was just too much" ... what ... too much to comprehend, too much of a spoiler to the ethical Newton family? Like I said, it's context, tone, and the proverbial elusive WHO!!! Until these WHO has the guts to show their face and share their name, I'm calling "BULLSHIT" !

Andy can you speak any further on this or add to it what you think? It seems like, along with Auburn or Cam possibly being further implicated, that Mississippi State might now find itself under scrutiny as well?

Chizik isn't worried. Cam isn't worried. Auburn did its due diligence. Auburn's compliance staff is very strict. You don't mess around with this kind of thing. I'm confident it will be cleared up soon in Auburn and Cam's favor.

The statement said MSU was working on some other time-consuming stuff related to non-football recruiting. Was there something in the news in the spring or summer regarding MSU being investigated for recruiting stuff in another sport? If so, that probably would have been mentioned, so I guess whatever it was is still being investigated or was cleared up.

A buddy of mine said he heard Pat Dye on Finebaum say that this whole thing could be solved and released as early as the end of the week. Don't know exactly what that means, but if that is true, I feel a little better about all this. I'm not too worried that the NCAA will find something at fault with all these allegations, but that they will find something else, say an old lady paid for Cam's dinner when he was at Blinn or something like that. This is the NCAA after all.

BS-- football coaches can provide info to the SEC because compliance is handling a basketball case?

Bond's "report" to the AD BEFORE Christmas went unreported and they kept recruiting Cam-- then, once he signed elsewhere, they "report it." But then fail to provide ANY request evidence for over 6mos b/c they're too busy? As Seth Meyers might say, "Really?"

Our Family... I think you are right about your theory and I think they leaked it now in an effort to try to cast allegations onto the Newtons as a way to cover-up for it. That it also is a blow to Cam's reputation was just a bonus for them. It's no wonder Cecil Newton wanted to get Cam away from there. There is a story that sort of supports this idea, but read with a grain a salt. http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/bond-msu-pawn-forcing-ncaa-to-act-on-cam-29227

Either way, under the "recruiters" = coaches logic, it seems an egregious omission if the concern is being raised by the MSU athletic department. For it only to come out in the NCAA investigation would mean that MSU was holding back information from the SEC.

now that cams father has admitted asking for extras but cam newton knew nothing about it is all hog or should i say tiger wash!! why is every one over looking the dinner in starkville during the egg bowl where cam, and his father attended and money was brought up in front of every one and the un-named msu coach said i dont need to year any of this. cam was there and yet dad says son dont know any thing about it

How many SEC games will the Auburn men's basketball team win next year?

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